Planning for the recovery - episode 3

In the third instalment of a four-part webinar series, Christopher Young QC, Leanne Buckley-Thomson, Thea Osmund-Smith, Jack Smyth and James Corbet Burcher tackle another set of planning questions.

Full list of questions answered in this episode:

1. Is it acceptable for Council officers to use Google Earth instead of site visits?
2. Can officers simply rely on photographs and measurements taken by applicants?
3. How do you make a material commencement to save a permission if you cannot find any contractors?
4. When will the Government introduce measures to extend permissions?
5. How do the new Regulations on CIL relief work?
6. Which methods of data collection for 5YS (rather than site visits) provide the most robust indication of supply?
7. Are there any appeal decisions in which COVID-19 has supported a grant of permission, specifically for economic/employment development?
8. Can LPAs refuse to progress consultation on NDPs because a physical copy cannot be made available for public inspection in local buildings like libraries?
9. How can public participation be promoted in the NDP preparation and examination process, consistent with social distancing?
10. Could future Local Plans seek to change the distribution of housing to a more dispersed strategy given the need for access to open space and the scope for more home working?
11. Should Committee Members visit site?
12. Will Appellants be forced to accept inquiries and hearings being done virtually?

About the speakers